An analysis prepared by the administration Friday after The Times-Tribune requested a breakdown showed expenditures to date of $98.80 for paper and copying.

County spokesman Joseph D'Arienzo said the commissioners office made 100 of the 13-page, full-color fliers, and about 75 have been distributed.

The handouts list 10 reasons why the commissioners believe the public should oppose a switch from the three-commissioner form of government to the elected executive and council structure recommended by the Government Study Commission.

County voters will decide in the May 20 primary whether to make the change, which would take effect in 2016.

Around 50 copies of the handout were passed out April 2 at the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, where majority Commissioners Jim Wansacz and Corey O'Brien appeared to defend the three-commissioner system, Mr. D'Arienzo said. Others have been handed out by county community relations staff members at local government meetings.

Some officials in Taylor expressed outrage that public resources were used to produce the document when community relations coordinator Rick Notari distributed copies at a borough council meeting Wednesday.

However, a Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission opinion issued in February allows the commissioners to use public funds to advocate and educate the public about the proposed changes.

The breakdown provided by chief financial officer Thomas Durkin pegged the cost of the handouts at $98.80 - $7.80 for 1,300 sheets of paper plus $91 for copying at 7 cents a page.

There were no additional labor costs because the county employees involved "are salaried employees who get their salary no matter what they are doing," he said. Mr. Notari's salary is $36,720.

"There is no marginal cost for this to be produced or distributed," Mr. Durkin said.

In the meantime, the cost to taxpayers of the Government Study Commission stands at $23,233, Mr. Durkin said. The total includes invoiced expenses of $18,156, along with $945 for sheriff's deputies to provide security at commission meetings and $3,772 for more than 15,000 pages of documents provided to the panel under a Right to Know Law request.

The county allocated $37,000 in this year's budget to fund the study commission's work.

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com

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